Churchwide broadcasting changes coming Oct 20?

[brad_p]

Someone in my stake forwarded me notes from a conference in which a leader stated the church is planning to update broadcasts.churchofjesuschrist.org to tailor it to a person's login and include local unit broacasts. Also, that leaders will get more information about this coming October 20th. Broadcasts will be personalized and consolidated to one page.

Does anyone else know more about this? I know I could just wait 10 days, but my stake is already looking to see how this will affect us.

[russellhltn]

When I went to that page, it encouraged me to log in to get local info. When it did, that block changed to "No upcoming broadcasts.". There's also a box to input an event code.

What I want to know is where the information for these meetings are coming from? Is it coming from the Zoom account? Not everyone uses Zoom - and it's too limiting for large meetings like stake conference.

[brad_p]

I just saw the same Event Code like you did. I guess we get more info on that in 10 days, as what I was told is Oct 20th is when unit leaders get instructions.

Personally I'm watching for these:

• Can we have an event with two different viewing options? We still run both YouTube and Zoom because we have many unit members who can only do one but not the other (tech limitations, firewall limitations, Zoom limit on max users, etc.)
• Can we run a broadcast event without an event code or without a login? Online broadcasts for us have been a surprisingly effective missionary tool, and logins or event codes just don't make sense here.
• Can we get a list of who is watching the broadcast and how many are watching it? We dropped the 2020 church broadcast web portal partially due to its inability to disseminate reports on who watched what and how many. We want that info in a clean format.

[russellhltn]

Online broadcasts for us have been a surprisingly effective missionary tool, and logins or event codes just don't make sense here.

Which brings me to a disconnect I found between the Wiki page and the General Handbook of Instructions. Zoom Webinar Features says:

Generally a passcode is not needed for sacrament meetings using webinar since it is noninteractive for attendees and should be available to anyone who wants to join.

But GHI 29.7 has a very different tone:

For the benefit of these members (who cannot attend in person) and others, the bishop may, as an exception, authorize a livestream of sacrament meetings and of funerals and weddings held in the meetinghouse.
...
Streams and virtual meetings are not meant for the convenience of those who could reasonably attend in person.

[brad_p]

Thanks russellhltn, this has been helpful so far. I wasn't aware of the wiki's verbiage.

In our stake, we interpreted the Handbook to work without a passcode. We 1) got a good list of everyone watching the broadcasts, then 2) directed bishoprics and other ward leaders to have kind conversations with all on such lists, and 3) reminded them that bishops still need to authorize those who watch weekly, otherwise they should attend in person. We didn't lock anything behind a passcode. It took about a year, but now almost everyone in our stake who watches broadcasts has very legitimate reasons for doing so, (meaning their reasons line up with the reasons in the Handbook, or they are visitors). Almost all who should be attending in person are now doing so.

Fortunately passcodes ended up not being needed.

[lajackson]

Someone in my stake forwarded me notes from a conference in which a leader stated the church is planning to update broadcasts.churchofjesuschrist.org to tailor it to a person's login and include local unit broacasts.

Specifically, the note says, "Sign in with your Church of Jesus Christ account to include events happening in your area."

I believe that means events broadcast over the Church system that are not intended for members worldwide, but rather for members in a certain area. This would be things such as a North America West Area fireside put on by the area presidency, or a regional training meeting intended for leaders in stakes in a specific metropolitan area or coordinating council. It might also include a regional youth fireside from a visiting general authority or officer in a multi-stake area. It could be a single adult devotional for a larger region of the Church.

Personally, I doubt that it refers to local unit broadcasts of stake conferences, sacrament meetings, funerals, or other similar events.

However, I suppose the Church could give me the codes to send a stake conference webcast and distribute it through the Church system as they used to do at one time. But I do not sense that this is what is about to happen. I believe that "events happening in your area" means more widely distributed events than those at a stake or ward level.

I could be wrong, though. Maybe multi-stake or area stake conferences are coming back again. I was not at the "conference" or meeting where the announcement was made.

[russellhltn]

Since they shut down the church's webcasting system, it seems unlikely they're going back to that.

Zoom is the only thing with a clear connection to church IT. They hold the master account of which all local units have sub-accounts. So there may be a tie there.

The only way YouTube or other services could be tied in is if someone entered that information somewhere.

[brad_p]

Personally, I doubt that it refers to local unit broadcasts of stake conferences, sacrament meetings, funerals, or other similar events.

One of our stake members recorded the a snippet of the conference audio on their phone. I couldn't make out parts, but I can make out this section: "There is now a section on broadcasts.churchofjesuschrist.org that is indicated [...] for local broadcasts for your unit. On October 20th, leaders and clerks will receive instructions on how to create those broadcasts and that point [...] will be officially live. In November area [...] will also appear [...] on the broadcast page. Again, [..] only those broadcasts associated with people will show for them. [ 20 seconds later] ...global, area, and local broadcasts will be consolidated into one page. It will be personalized to the user and it will be easier to find. Also this solution utilizes [...] content management system which we're moving all content to and is on AWS..."

My running guess is that a unit clerk or leader will schedule a Zoom webinar or YouTube broadcast, obtain the URL link, go to broadcasts.churchofjesuschrist.org. Then the page will query to describe the broadcast, its scope (stake or unit), the URL, and allow an access code if we choose. Then a normal unit member can login with their church account and see all local, area, and global broadcasts right there.

So for wards still emailing out Zoom links to members who can't attend weekly, this would be a good new approach.

[lajackson]

That is definitely more than I expected. No complaints here, though.

[caillines]

Interesting. I wonder how personalised they actually mean. If this is down to the individual level of who gets access to zoom links rather than having to go via email, it would be great.